GD/Northrop Grumman win major sub orderGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat Corporation, in partnership with Northrop Grumman's Newport News Shipbuilding, is being awarded a block-buy contract, worth up to US$8.7 billion, for the construction of six Virginia-class submarines for the US Navy (USN). Once congressional authorisation and appropriation is granted, the contract will award one submarine per year from 2003-06 and two submarines in 2007.[Jane's Defence Industry - first posted to http://jdin.janes.com - 23 September 2003]

US Navy works to re-invigorate anti-submarine warfare in the littoralsThe US Navy (USN) is already starting to implement the recommendations of the Task Force ASW (anti-submarine warfare [TF ASW]) that it established in February 2003 at the direction of the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Vern Clark. He requested an urgent review, with the initial results being available within 60 days, to support his desire to "render the submarine impotent as an anti-access weapon against US and coalition forces". The task force has accordingly examined all aspects of ASW relevant to the current emphasis on supporting expeditionary maneuver forces, particularly during littoral warfare, rather than the deep-water threat from the former Soviet Navy's nuclear submarines that the USN faced during the Cold War.[Jane's International Defense Review - first posted to http://idr.janes.com - 21 September 2003]

Dutch armed forces hit by further cutsThe cost-saving measures and restructuring effort intended to transform the Netherlands armed forces will involve axing 11,700 jobs from the 70,000 active today. This is almost 3,000 more than announced on 30 June (Jane's Defence Weekly 9 July).[Jane's Defence Weekly - first posted to http://jdw.janes.com - 19 September 2003]

Netherlands and Norway detail equipment swapThe Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) has released details of a Declaration of Intent between the Netherlands and Norway covering an extensive equipment swap and other initiatives to strengthen military collaboration between the two nations (Jane's Defence Weekly 26 March).[Jane's Defence Weekly - first posted to http://jdw.janes.com - 19 September 2003]